


Stateside

by BucketsFromSpace



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Orphans, Road Trips, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-06-05 18:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15176885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BucketsFromSpace/pseuds/BucketsFromSpace
Summary: Zoey and Elizabeth Laskey were your average siblings; they lived in their home in cozy suburban America with a mother and father, lived a life better than most. They were the definition of a perfect family. That was years ago. Now they barely have a home, a job, and no parents to speak of. The two rarely agree on anything, and what’s left of their family is anything but perfect. Zoey and Elizabeth unknowingly tear their world apart piece by piece as the days drag on. However, an opportunity presents itself to them, and together, they pull themselves back together on an adventure with a forty year old motorhome, fancy gas stations, aged supermodels, and intelligent dolphins as they travel across the country.





	1. Chapter 1

            “Why do you even try anymore?” A young girl grumbled, she leaned against the window of a beat-up Chevy sedan. The sky outside was dark, blurry shapes of houses flew past, and every now and then a lamp post or two would pass her vision and her transparent reflection would look back at her for just a split second.

            “Because someone has to keep you in college,” The driver of the car replied, keeping her eyes directly ahead. The look on her face didn’t seem amused, she quite clearly did not want to have this conversation at this time of day or rather, night.

            “I’m about to flunk it anyway, just save the rest of the cash for something else,” The girl responded. She leaned back against her seat, still facing away from the driver’s seat. She moved some of her hair away from her eyes, dark blue streaks could be seen in some places.

            The driver groaned. This wasn’t the first time she heard this, and as usual she tried to make it the last.

            “Elizabeth J. Laskey, I’ve heard this too many times from you,” She said in a stern tone, but it seemed as if some part of her wasn’t committed to the statement. She kept on driving, her head not turning to look at her passenger.

            “Can you just agree with me for once? We’re sisters you know? We’re supposed to be supporting each other. You’re killing me here!”

            “I think you’re confusing the word support with ignorance in this situation,”

            “Is it ignorance if it’s the right thing to do, Zoey?” Elizabeth groaned.

            “Liz, just give me a break for one night. We’ve had this conversation a thousand times already,”

            “Eleven times actually. Eleven times over these past three or four months,” The younger sister snickered.

            The car soon pulled into a driveway in front of a moderately sized two-story home. The home was faded beige in color, and their roof was an earthy brown. It had rectangular windows with the insides obscured by pale white blinds, with a large one directly above the garage. To the right of that was a narrow archway in which the front door was nestled in and a structure resembling a closed off gazebo was attached to it and the rest of the home. The only light that seemed to come from the house was the lamp above the door. The only other semblances of light anywhere else were neighbors’ homes and the street lamps.

            “Grab your bag in the trunk, I’ll go and unlock the door,” Zoey instructed her sister as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. Liz only nodded.

            As she stepped outside, she was greeted by a gentle blast of cool air. It was the good old Florida night she was used to. Zoey walked towards the door, she stared at their home wistfully. It’s been a long time since their home was the bright and vibrant hearth she remembered it as. It had been years, probably. She shrugged it off as she heard the slam of the trunk closing behind her.

            “Glad to see we can afford at least one light in this house,” Liz chuckled, stepping beside her older sister with her backpack lazily hung on her shoulder.

            “Seriously, when will you stop being such an ass?” Zoey asked, annoyed.

            “When you let me drop out,”

            “Then that’s never then, huh?”

            “Pretty much,” Liz shrugged; turning to face her older sister for the first time this evening, her pale skin and black ponytail tinted yellow by the lamp above them. Her brow had furrowed above the squinted shapes of her eyes.

            “Just turn off this light before you use anything in the kitchen, and just reheat whatever’s in the fridge for dinner,” The older sister stated, shutting the door behind them. Liz complied, flipping the light switch and promptly moving into the kitchen to prepare her dinner. Zoey went up the stairs into her room. Moments later, a door shut quietly in the hallway.

            “Just who the hell does she think she is?” The woman muttered to herself.

            She tossed her jacket onto her bed, its metal components clinking as they bounced.

            “I’ve worked my ass off for her for god knows how many years and this is how she treats me?” She thought to herself, her body now sinking into her mattress. She still didn’t understand why Liz did this to herself. Zoey also didn’t know why she sit there and allowed herself to just suffer through her sister’s self-deprecation. But, as if on cue a picture frame caught her eye.

“Hah,” She laughed. It was a framed picture of their mother cradling her from ages ago. She both appreciated and resented its presence atop her drawer.

“Can’t ever disappoint you, can I?” Zoey asked the photo, it was from before Elizabeth was born. One of the oldest, and only photos she had of she and her mother together. It was a wonder that it barely faded considering how old it was.

            “You would’ve done the same,” Zoey sighed, standing back up. The woman changed out of a black button up before putting on a plain white shirt. She came downstairs to see Liz with a pizza slice hanging from her mouth and her phone in her hands, not minding her sister’s presence at all. Zoey shuffled over to the fridge and looked through what they had. There was days old takeout, a half-eaten box of pizza, a surprisingly untouched cake and a Tupperware of spaghetti. She groaned as she decided to cut her losses and heat up the spaghetti.

            “So, am I walking to the bus stop or am I riding with you tomorrow?” Liz said, mouth now filled by a half-eaten pizza slice.

            “You’ve been asking this every day lately. You already know the answer: you’re walking because you never wake up early enough,” Zoey responded.

            “Great,” She groaned, swallowing the last bite of her pizza.

            “Don’t give me that, this is your fault you know?”

            “It wouldn’t be if you just let me drop out!”

            “You know I can’t let you do that,”

            “You never tell me why! It’s just that generic brighter future crap you always give me. Do this so you can work at the oceanographic office, do that so you can work at Sea World,” Liz said, irritated as she gestured around shaking a finger at the ceiling.

            “That  _is_ the reason why. Why can’t you just understand that!?” replied Zoey, raising her voice.

            “Fine,” Her sister replied, rolling her eyes as she went back to using her phone. The conversation ended quite conveniently as the soft ding of the microwave rung. Zoey took her pasta and sat at the far end of the counter. The two never said another word to one another after that point. Liz would be the first one to return to her room.

                                                                       

* * *

 

            Around half an hour after their argument in the kitchen, Elizabeth sat down on her chair and faced the rest of her room.

            “She just doesn’t see it, does she?” she thought herself, kicking her sneakers off. Her room was a mess. Dirty clothes lay all over the floor, her sheets were half off the bed and her desk was a mound of random papers from the past few classes. Somewhere in the corner were a few issues of National Geographic, and next to them a sketchbook with a half-finished drawing of a dolphin. She groaned as she swung her chair around.

            “Sea World? They’re everything I’m against. Why would I work there!”

            She stared at her reflection on a small mirror above her desk. She could still see faint blue streaks in her hair from the time that she dyed it, her eyebags and her green university sweater; it had a dolphin swimming through the letters JU.

            “You’re a mess aren’t you,” she said to her reflection. As much as she wanted to drop out of university and just give up, Liz quite enjoyed her course. It was something she indeed loved, swimming with dolphins from time to time and all that. She just hated the fact that Zoey knows it won’t help them at all. Sea World or the oceanographic office won’t be able to hire her and get them out of the red if she’s failing on her second year.

            She continued to stare at her reflection and sighed. Her eyes moved onto her desk again, she picked up the sketchpad and examined the drawing. The dolphin on it was cartoony; it was Nellie their mascot. Liz managed to draw it while sitting by the St. Johns river with her friends a few days ago. She paused.

            “Might as well finish you now,”

            She picked up a pencil and began to finish off the drawing. She drew him in the same sweater she was wearing, waving at whoever would be looking at the illustration. It made her smile, some form of happy face at home at a time when the only two people living there were some variation of angry or sad. Liz finished up the dolphin rather quickly, she stared at it for a few minutes; eyeing the rough lines and unclean edges. All she could seem to see were flaws. It irritated her. Her quiet moment was interrupted by a knock on her door.

            “Liz?” said her sister.

            “Just make it quick,”

            Zoey opened the door and set down a glass of water on her desk. She forced a smile at her younger sister, and quickly made her way back out.

            “Night,” She said, before shutting the door. Lizzy only rolled her eyes and continued looking at her drawing.

            If she squinted, it looked like a dolphin, yet she could only see the lack of smoothness in her lines. Half of her wanted to tear it apart. Yet, her patience was long enough to not do so. She went back and redid the lines, erasing them and redoing them in effortless strokes. Somehow, after fifteen more minutes of drawing she ended up with something that satisfied her.

            “If only she was as easy to fix as that,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyo, thanks for reading the first chapter! This is currently a side project and will be updated as often as possible! I try to write chapters weekly, but if you know me in real life you know how well that goes.  
> -BFS July 5, 2018
> 
> Updated this chapter and cleaned it up a little bit. Hopefully reads better now!  
> -BFS December 27, 2018


	2. Chapter 2

            Elizabeth woke up to an incessant beeping beside her. She rubbed her eyes as she reared her head up to look at its source. In segmented red lines, her clock displayed that the time was eight in the morning. The marine science student groaned as she forced herself to stand, her vision was still adjusting to the light.

            “Another day closer to dropping out,” She quietly reminded herself. Liz awaited that day now more than ever. With a vague memory of last night, she began to loathe her conversations with her sister even more. Even the thought of all the other times they’ve argued over the same thing could’ve driven her crazy. It always led her into the same situation, whether that be in the car or the living room. Liz rarely listened, and her sister never failed to notice that.

            The girl shuffled into her bathroom and freshened herself up. Her eyes caught her reflection once again. Half lidded eyes and a frown greeted her good morning. It took her roughly fifteen minutes to get ready with her favorite turtleneck and a pair of faded jeans, she stepped out of her room and found a post-it note stuck on Zoey’s door.

            ‘Call me as soon as you see this.’

            Liz grunted at it and eyed it for a few more seconds before she quickly made her way downstairs and began brewing herself some coffee. The strong scent of the brown liquid gave her some form of relief from the spell of sleepiness. She quickly filled her tumbler and set it down on the table, and in another few minutes two slices of toasted bread were plopped down beside it. Liz only just began to chew when she dialed up her sister, who was probably just a few hours into her shift

            “Took you long enough,“ A groggy voice asked, quickly followed by a yawn. In the background she could hear the creak of a metallic door closing.

            “Just about to leave. What did you want?” Liz replied dryly.

            “For you to do your best today,”

            “I’m going to hang up on you. I swear,”

            “I’m serious, Liz. It’s just the start of the semester,” Her sister replied much more sternly this time around.

            “Exactly, drop me out now and worry later!”

            “Not funny,”

            “Look. I’ll worry about me. And you worry about you, kay?” Liz asked, gesturing around as if Zoey could see her.

            “Fine. Just don’t screw up,”

            “I’ll try my worst,” The phone soon clicked, and the call ended. Liz jammed it into her pocket, smirking at her now made up catchphrase and put the dishes in the sink. She went back upstairs to get her backpack. As soon as she did, she put her tumbler into one of the various side pockets and stepped outside their mahogany door. Liz stared back at her home in its unlit splendor and forced a smile. The girl locked the door behind her and began walking to the bus stop. It was a short walk in the direction they drove from the previous evening, only around nine or so houses away.

            “Just one more day,” She told herself.

            Liz began to walk, soaking in the same old sights she’d been seeing for the last nineteen years of her life. There weren’t that many homes in the area they lived in, most of them were one empty lot or more apart. Unkempt grass was visible everywhere she looked, always framed by earth colored homes. She smiled at the place, as much as she hated it nowadays; this was really the only place she could walk around and be at peace. Sure, the river near university was a beautiful place to be. That was until she began getting catcalled recently and she had decided to stay away. The nearest park on the other hand was usually filled with annoying children and dogs. She was content to stay close to home for her moments of solitude.

            Liz continued to walk around, not conscious of the time she was wasting looking around. The girl passed the third house on her block. She could see the bus stop in the distance and shrugged it off. Her eyes darted around, spotting a few of her childhood friends’ homes. She could barely remember their names, but she could remember the bitterness she felt when they left one by one, leaving her and her sister to live without them. She sighed.

            “Peaceful walk, huh?”

            She continued walk down the street where her friends used to live. Liz tried her hardest to remember who they were. She could only pull letters out of her memory. Was it a P? Or was it a J? She didn’t know. She could only wonder where they were now. Their homes were now inhabited by people she didn’t recognize. People who she didn’t have any interest in or any time to get to know. She was always busy ‘studying’ or hanging out with her friends to really care about some family she’d barely interact with. Maybe Zoey would know who they are, she’d always go for a jog before leaving for work. Maybe she’d ask. Maybe she wouldn’t. Liz didn’t exactly care. The girl continued to walk further down the street before her pocket began to vibrate. She groaned, it would probably be Zoey again. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked.

            ‘8:30 AM – Bus Alarm’

            “Crap,” She froze. Elizabeth then began to run the opposite direction and towards the bus stop she ignored earlier. Her backpack was beating against her back with every step forward, her arms swinging wildly back and forth and her breath barely able to catch up. She barely rounded the corner when she saw the bus pull into the stop.

            “Five minutes,” She repeated to herself. Nine or so houses were beginning to look like a big number now, considering the distance between each house. She kept on pushing herself forward, wind in her hair with the aim that the blue sign be visible. Liz could not be late after last night’s mess, she didn’t want another sermon. Her feet began to hurt after the sixth house, sure she’d run for the bus before, but not from this distance. The grass near the sidewalk would blur past her vision as she continued to run, the first blur of color passed.

            “Seven,” She muttered under her breath. Two more houses and she’d be good. The blue sign began to grow larger, and the text nearly legible. Her legs began to ache. Liz hadn’t been running for very long at all but she already felt like she had Olympic endurance.

            “Eight,” Another home passed her peripheral vision, “Almost there,”

            The sign could now be read clearly, and the white bus above it was mocking her.

            “One more house. One more house. One more house,” She half screamed into the air until the last earthy blur came and went and she was on the last ten meters. The bus doors closed. Liz cursed under her breath, and began to wave her arms wildly in the air.

            “Hey! Jesus, wait!” She shouted as loud as she could. The girl blew past the bus stop and ran after the bus, knocking on the bus’ rear end as soon as she caught up to it. The hiss of brakes assaulted her ear drums as she threw herself into the open doors. The poor girl nearly collapsed onto one of the seats as she struggled to catch her breath.

            “The hell is wrong with you man!” She cursed at the bus driver, sweat tracing every edge of her face.

            “I’ve got a schedule to keep kid, eight thirty. Sharp. Every single day. Get used to it,” She didn’t recognize the bus driver today, and that could be why he was equally annoyed.

            Liz could barely comprehend his reply while she clutched her chest as her breathing began to normalize again. She could feel that her back was slick with sweat, and the coldness of the air conditioning took its toll on her.

            “Great start,” She groaned as the bus lurched forward.

                                                                    

* * *

 

Zoey yawned as she placed the final red and white can onto the shelf. It was thankfully a quiet day three hours into her shift, she was able to sneak in a few power naps while standing by a corner every now and then. Her hands latched onto a stack of brown cardboard boxes as she stood up from her latest achievement: a fully stocked soup shelf. The woman headed back for the stock room to drop off the boxes, she still had a couple of other shelves to fill up. She looked around at the relatively empty Wal-Mart, surprised to see it this way at nine in the morning. Zoey weaved in and out of aisles, trying her absolute best not to be seen by any customer looking for assistance. She could barely see in front of herself, until someone knocked into her right before she was behind the wall leading to the backroom, sending the boxes and her crashing to the floor.

            “Oh my God. I’m sorry. That was my fault,” She said instinctively, picking up her boxes and not daring to look at who she hit in the eye.

            “Oh, don’t worry about it!” It was a woman’s voice with a distinct ‘th’ replacing her ‘s’es, “I’ll help you out!”

            “Oh no, no! I’ll handle it ma’am,” Zoey panicked as she crawled over to the boxes.

            “If you say so,”

            As the boxes began to resemble a stack once again, the employee glanced up at the person she was helping and immediately stifled her laughter.

            “Rachel?”

            “Yeah, hey that’s me,” Her coworker laughed, pushing up on a pair of gold rimmed glasses.

            “You stopped my heart for a sec there,”

            “That wouldn’t be the first time!” Rachel joked. She was one of Zoey’s closest friends and one of the few coworkers she actually talked to. She was a short, dark skinned woman with curly hair and deep brown eyes who often seemingly always had a joke ready to go.

            “One of these days you’ll actually be my cause of death,”

            “And I’d wear that honor like a medal,”

            “Hah. I know you would. Why are you late today anyway? I haven’t seen you all morning,”

            “I clocked in and _kind of_ snuck out. I mean no one gets here a six in the morning so I bought myself breakfast across the street and stayed there,”

            Zoey raised an eyebrow.

            “And no one saw you?”

            “Yeah? I didn’t wear a uniform so I was fine!” Rachel chuckled.

            “That’s, well, wild,” Zoey shrugged, unable to find a way to properly react. There was silence for a few moment before the two unanimously decided to head to the stock room. The taller of the two continued to hold her stack of boxes.

            “So, how’s Liz been?” Her coworker asked.

            “She’s being an ass, as usual these days,” Zoey grumbled.

            “About school and you I’m going to guess?”

            “You know it!” There was a fake thespian glee to her tone.

            Rachel chuckled. She heard the story many times in the years she’d known Zoey, her friend usually vents her frustrations almost daily. Whether these are about Liz, work, or really anything around; Rachel is seemingly there for her.

            “What’s she been up to this time?”

            “Failing her classes. That’s why I had to leave early yesterday. The office needed to inform her legal guardian,” Zoey groaned.

            “Failing? Didn’t you say she was doing okay?” The curly haired woman asked.

            “That’s what I thought until the administration showed me her grades. She needs a miracle to come even close to passing marks,”

            “So she’s been lying? This _whole_ time?”

            Zoey nodded slowly. The two entered the stock room. It was large enough that it seemingly took up a quarter of the building’s floor space.

            “What I don’t understand is like why she doesn’t talk to me about it!” The taller of the two groaned, immediately stepping into an aisle, “I’m here for her all the time and she just doesn’t say anything?!”

            She made a frustrated noise, knocking a package onto the floor.

            “Slow down there, She-Hulk,” Rachel raised her hands, “Maybe she just needs time?”

            “I’ve given her all the time in the world. It’s been months since her grades dipped and now she doesn’t have that luxury anymore,”

            Her coworker looked like she was thinking to herself.

            “Then maybe you need time?”

            Zoey gave her a confused look. She didn’t quite understand what her friend was saying.

            “Yeah? Just take a day to go to a coffee shop or I don’t know, watch a movie?” There was a shrug from Rachel, “You deserve as much rest as she does,”

            “As much as I want to do that, relaxing won’t keep the lights on,” Zoey replied, sighing again.

            “Look Zoey, both of you clearly need rest, and some time apart! Why don’t you let her hang out with her friends on Saturday, and you and I could go do something or whatever,”

            “Something like what?” She lifted a curious eyebrow.

            “Go to the bar? Unwind a little bit? Get lucky?” Rachel chuckled.

            “After the disaster that was Charles? No thanks. Besides, aren’t you and Sophie a thing already?”

            Her coworker blushed, she picked up the small paper wrapped object that fell and placed it back where it came from.

            “Yeah, we are but I didn’t say I was the one getting lucky,” The curly haired woman winked and pointed a finger gun at her friend.

            “Hah. I’ll try,” Zoey yawned, stacking her own empty boxes.

            “That’s good enough for me, see you on Saturday then! Wear something good, you won’t be able to catch bait without fish!” Rachel laughed as she walked off to the store room.

            “Wait, what?” The other woman scratched her head.

                                                                   

* * *

 

            The bell rang and Liz sneezed from her seat. She caught a few disgusted looks in the corner of her eye as the class stood up to the leave the room. She had an hour or so before her next class so she had some time to meet her friends. She made her way out of the lecture room, brushing shoulders with most of the classmates she never bothered to recognize and continued walking down the hall. The girl sneezed again, attracting more mildly disgusted looks from those around her. Liz only rolled her eyes in reply. She pulled her phone from out of her pocket and began to type out a message;

            ‘Where you at’

            She sent it to Paula, who was one of her senior friends and the person who gave her a ride home basically every day.

            ‘Near the amphitheater.’

            Liz groaned. She wasn’t really ready to go halfway across the campus today, but she had to if she wanted to stay sane. She texted back:

            ‘Be there soon’

            She stepped out of the hallway soon after and back into fresh air. The girl looked back behind her at the entranceway built mostly out of glass and the students that followed her out. It was one of the few places that made her happy in this world. She had the liberty to learn what she wanted at a relatively advanced facility daily, and she loved it. She fondly remembered all the times they would examine fish from the river and see how they’d be affected by the daily traffic of boats and ships. Other times they’d leave the campus to visit the swamps that were only a couple of hours away. Or even the times when they’d take the Dolphin, the university’s small research boat, out to gather samples and data on day trips. It was everything she wanted in her future job. Now it was an escape, a fragile one at that, it would all crumble away the day her grades would dip down low enough.

            She continued walking down the sidewalk, the sun directly above her. Liz looked around as she sneezed into a handkerchief now instead of the open air. To her left was the small forest that blocked the view to the rest of the main campus, she could spot a couple of students walking around filming something and another group making their way through it on a narrow stone path. To her right was the field, like nearly every other thing in the University, had name that included Dolphin in it. There were some students in soccer uniforms, and others jogging around the trail. In the distance ahead of her was the amphitheater, a small structure which was more a shed than anything. Liz continued to walk towards it for what felt like an eternity in the heat. Eventually however, she could finally see Paula sitting on the amphitheater with surprisingly no one else beside her.

            “Hey,” Liz greeted as more of a courtesy than anything else.

            The tall blonde woman stood up and waved, and the way she did so suggested some form of practiced grace to her movement: the kind they’d teach you in an etiquette school of some sort.

            “Good afternoon, Lizzy!” She replied, sitting back down.

            “I wouldn’t call it that good,” The girl groaned.

            “And why is that?”

            “Everything, Paula. The world’s just been kicking my ass lately,”

            “For reasons I am going to assume are the same reasons your sister talked to me about?” Paula asked, a pair of cyan eyes and a nose sharp enough to cut you turned to face her.

            “She told _you_? Seriously, I can’t get a break?” Liz exclaimed.

            “I’m not picking sides but I’m sure you’re aware that this is for your own good?”

            “Yeah, yeah,”

            “Liz, your sister is doing this for you,” Paula’s expression grew concerned as she inched slightly closer. “For your future,”

            Her hand perched itself softly onto Elizabeth’s shoulder.

            “Can we, uh, drop the topic Paula? I really don’t need another older sister,”

            Her friend sighed, moving quickly back away. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small green bottle and gave it to her.

            “Would you like some Ginger Ale? I know Zoey’s been keeping your fridge under-stocked so I bought you some,”

            Liz’s anger dissipated slightly, she sat down under the large letters on the side of the amphitheater.

            “I’m sorry, Liz. I shouldn’t have prodded,”

            “It’s okay, Paula,” Liz forced a smile, taking a few sips from the soda bottle.

            “Anyway, how is everything else? Anything you’ve done that’s interesting?”

            “Actually,” Liz smiled a little bit more, opening her backpack and procuring her sketchpad. She showed Paula her drawing of Nellie.

            “That’s absolutely adorable,”

            “I finally finished it last night, though I’m honestly surprised I’m not sick of the animal at this point,” She chuckled, pointing at the sweater the Dolphin was wearing.

            “I’m surprised you haven’t gone insane just being in campus! I mean this field is quite literally named Dolphin Green!” Paula laughed, putting a hand over mouth as she did. The two shared the laugh for a while. If it was a genuine one was a complete mystery.

            “How about you? How’s dance going?” Liz asked.

            “Oh, you know, I’m trying my best not to be the best!” Paula joked.

            “I’m sure that’s hard, with you being you,”

            “Joking aside, dance has been fun. We have a presentation tomorrow, and my group still hasn’t got our routine down yet,”

            “Oh? Already? That was quick,” Liz nudged her friend.

            “Indeed, but it’s exciting nonetheless!” Paula smiled, bowing her head in the same practiced way she did with all her previous actions.

            “Now, what else? How’s Ysabelle, and Beatrice for that matter?”

            “My sisters are doing just fine! Ysabelle landed her secretary job over in New York and Beatrice is still working here part-time,”

            “That sounds good. I hope you get into some great law firm when you graduate,” Liz replied, the slightest hint of sadness in her voice. She felt a quiet jealousy for how successful Paula and her sisters were, but nonetheless she supported her friend in any way possible.

            “And I hope you’ll be the one showing me your dolphin friends someday,” Paula replied, smiling warmly.

            “Hah! If I make it through the year!” The girl joked, laughing to herself.

            Her friend didn’t find it all too funny; she only stared in mild disapproval.

            “Well, I better head to my next class. I got some boring stuff to do for the next hour,” The girl mumbled, sensing that she ruined the mood.

            “Well, alright. Good luck,” Paula replied with the slightest frown present on her face.

            “See you later,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's Chapter 2! Thanks again to everyone who's currently reading and supporting the story.  
> -BFS July 7, 2018
> 
> Updated this chapter and cleaned it up a little bit. Hopefully reads better now!  
> -BFS December 27, 2018


	3. Chapter 3

            The midday sun was beating down on a tiny Hyundai hatchback in the middle of a parking lot. There was an imposingly tall woman with hair spilling out of her head in every direction and broad shoulders that looked to be slightly asymmetrical in size sitting on its trunk and beside her sat a slender blonde woman who, from afar, looked to be half her volume. Behind them, inside the car and in the backseat, was a man with an unkempt aura to him, his shirt was full of wrinkles, his hair was a mess, and his expression looked barely awake. He was drawing something on a small pocket sized notebook. The three of them were sitting rather quietly, all seemingly waiting for another person.

            “Come get your food!” A girl with faded blue streaks in her hair called their attention.

            All their heads perked up one by one, the smaller woman approaching the hoodie clad girl.

            “Thank you, Lizzy!” She smiled, grabbing one of the trays she was holding. A quick second of eye contact the two made gave the woman a look at the dark lines under her eyes and a tired, but an uncharacteristically happy expression.

            “There’s a chilidog for Olivia, chicken fingers for James and burgers for you and me,” Liz pointed at the various bright red baskets of food on the trays. The scent of grease and cheap meat filled the air around them.

            “That’s great! I’ll go and give these to the others; you go and make yourself comfortable in the car,” The woman turned around on the tips of her toes, the hem of her skirt whirling around with her.

            Liz did as her friend suggested and sat on the passenger seat with her burger. Behind her, the man was reaching out of the window, desperately reaching for his meal.

            “Paula! You _know_ I can’t reach that far,” He groaned, lazily flailing his arm in the general direction of the tray. He wasn’t _this_ lazy in actuality, but he made a hobby out of annoying Paula.

            “You can reach it James, just try harder,” The blonde dismissed, holding a red basket inches away from the man’s finger tips. The woman on the trunk laughed at her friends’ predicament. This continued until he finally caught hold of the tray, bringing his chicken fingers into the car with a triumphant noise no-one could understand. Paula passed the last tray to Olivia, the woman who was currently sitting on the trunk. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a large print of a television with an eye in the place of a screen. Paula promptly sat beside her and began to eat her own food.

            “What are we planning to do today exactly?” Liz asked; her tone, if anything, minutely more chipper than usual.

            “Well, there’s a show for local musicians at Jack Rabbit’s tonight,” James suggested, taking a large bite of his honey mustard covered chicken finger.

            “Or we could go to Riverside and help Lizzy relax,” Paula suggested, keen on helping her friend unwind from all the stress she’s been through lately.

            “I mean both sound really good. But I’m fine with either option,” The girl replied.

            “Olivia?” Paula and James said simultaneously. The woman was caught in the middle of taking a big bite from her hotdog. She paused, staring awkwardly at the trio.

            “Park or Bar?” Liz asked.

            The woman’s mass of hair shifted on her shoulders while gave a moment to think, and to swallow the bite she had just taken.

            “Both?” She asked. Her voice was husky, and it matched her stature quite well.

            “Do we have time for both?” Paula asked, visibly leaning towards the park option.

            “But a couple of good drinks and good music don’t come together that often!” James retorted. He was quite the avid fan of the combination, to the point that he engaged in the activity regularly.

            “Is Liz even allowed to drink? She’s still in second year,”

            “Hey! I’m nineteen. I’m legal,” Liz yelled from the passenger seat, making Olivia laugh. It was deep and throaty, seeming almost like coughing to those unacquainted with her.

            “Did you bring an ID?” The blonde asked, crossing her arms.

            Liz raised her index finger and proceeded to pull out a faded black wallet, its edges were peeling and it seemed to be filled with all sorts of small memorabilia. Paula spotted her pulling out old movie tickets, expired rewards cards and trading cards from games that didn’t exist anymore. A few more seconds passed by until Liz’s search came up empty.

            “Aha! Park it is!” Paula gloated triumphantly. She promised Zoey that she wouldn’t let Liz drink until she was mature enough for it, and due to recent events she doubted that she was even close to being mature at all.

            “Ugh, seriously,” The man groaned, hands at his temples, “We’re going to a park?”

            “Now, now James, we’re here to give Lizzy a day off,”

            James rolled his eyes. As much as he hated the decision, he was happy to be with his friends.

            The four continued to eat their lunch still in the same seating arrangement, except for Paula who was standing just beside the backseat’s door.

            “What are we going to do at the park?” Olivia asked her seatmate, finishing up her chilidog.

            “We could walk around and enjoy the day? It’s not all the time we get to enjoy peace and quiet,”

            “That sounds boring,” James butted in, much to Paula’s annoyance.

            “Well, how about you come up with something?”

            The man thought for a few minutes. He ended up silent. Paula only replied with a smug look. The four of them sat in thought for a few more minutes, they went out for lunch and something fun, but it seemed they could barely think of something fun.

            “D and B?” She asked, unsure if anyone would consider anything she said. Her friends sat and stared at one another to weigh their options. Their glances gave in to shrugs and nods.

            “Well, that does seem to be the middle ground in this situation,” Paula clasped her hands together.

            “I’m down,” James sat upright, stretching. The woman directly behind him gave a quiet nod, brushing of any remaining crumbs left on her hands.

            “Well, that’s settled,”

            The four of them finished their meals soon after, Paula being the one to clean up after them. She returned to the car to find James and Olivia in the backseat with Liz in the passenger side. The woman promptly buckled up in the driver’s seat.

            “Safety first,” She said, followed by a click from her seatbelt and Liz’s seatbelt.

            “I’m in the backseat though,” The man said. He was answered with a pulling noise and a click beside him. Olivia had her seatbelt on as well. James groaned, buckling his own seatbelt. The car soon pulled out of the driveway in one clean stroke and onto the main road. Its passengers quickly went into their own activities for the time being.

            “Hey, Paula, thanks for setting this all up,” Liz said, quite softly compared to how she spoke just moments ago, “I guess it means a lot,”

            “Oh, don’t mention it. With all the tough times you’ve been through lately, I thought you needed some time off with us,” The driver replied, hiding the fact Zoey asked this favor of her the day before. The older Laskey never seemed to be able to bond with her sister for various obvious reasons, but she always seemed to see Paula as the older sister Liz always needed. It was an odd dynamic, but it was one Paula had grown accustomed to.

            “We’ll pay you the gas money when we have the cash to spare,” Liz said even softer than her previous statement.

            “Oh, you don’t have to. I’m always glad to help you two out,” Paula smiled.

            Behind them, Olivia was absorbed in her phone screen, nearly hunched over because her head scraped against the sedan’s ceiling. A chirp and a ding could be heard every now and then. James on the other hand had earphones on, listening to some music while he continued to mess with his notebook.

            “Has Ysabelle told you anything new about her job?” The girl in the passenger seat asked.

            “Not much. Her boss sounds like a handful though,”

            “Oh?” Liz raised an eyebrow.

            “She’s some middle-aged woman with a knack for calling her workers personally every now and then. It gets really awkward when you’re on a date she says,”

            “Must be. Isn’t there a law against that or something?”

            “I’m not sure, but it’s normal there apparently,” Paula shrugged.

            “Oof. How about Beatrice? Her job working out fine back at JU?”

            “Of course! Miss Barrett has been kind. She visits the senior classrooms a lot, loves telling stories about when she taught psychology, and the times she could make people cry after a string of a few questions,”

            Liz winced at the thought.

            “Your sisters’ bosses sound really exotic,” She said, with a look of mild concern.

            “If they’re happy with their jobs, I won’t bother them,” The driver shrugged.

            “That’s a nice thought,” Liz’s anger drifted for a short second, but she brushed it off. Zoey wasn’t here, and she wanted to keep it that way.

            The rest of the trip was quiet. Liz kept her gaze on the cars that passed by. There was a tension between her and Paula, something she never wanted to admit. Her jealousy for their near perfect lives knew no bounds, but their friendship overshadowed that most of the time.

            The group arrived at their destination after a short while. Paula’s car stopped in another parking lot, a short distance away was a large orange and blue sign with ‘D&B’ on it. James looked up from his notebook, looking at the half empty parking lot around them.

            “D and B. Hell yeah!” He asked, a misplace excitement in his tone as he yanked the earphones from his ears.

            “We are _not_ going anywhere near the bar. We’re here for the arcade and _nothing_ else,”

            The man sighed, stuffing the tangle of wires into his pocket.

            “I can’t wait to try that arm wrestling machine again,” Olivia chuckled, stretching her arms. The look in her eyes was that of someone who wanted a rematch. Her friends could only assume how many times she tried that machine.

            “I think I have a card. I’ll go buy another one so we can split up,” Paula told the group, stepping out of the car. The other three followed suite, stretching and yawning as they stepped out.

            “I can see the groups before they’ve even formed,” Liz joked, “And I don’t think I have complaints,”

            “Yeah. Sure,” James nudged her, causing her cheeks to fluster. Surprisingly, no one noticed.

            “Just keep him away from the bar Olivia, I’m sure you can physically carry him if the need arises,” The blonde half joked, handing her the power card. She soon walked off with Liz, the other two following slowly.

            As they stepped inside the arcade, they were greeted with an assault on the senses. There was extremely loud music, bright flashing lights, indistinct noises of people playing with the machines and the scent of air conditioned air greeted them. Paula seemed almost sick, while Liz could only smile at the cacophony of confusion.

            “I’ll go buy another power card before we start running off,” Said Paula. The girl only nodded, she followed her to the counter, her hands dug deep into her hoodie’s pockets. A few minutes later, the two were walking on a bedazzling carpet into the actual arcade part of the building. Each corner of their vision had a flashing light. From claw machines to air hockey tables and even slot machines had logos vying for the pair’s attention.

            “I’ve never seen you drive under pressure,” Liz stated, nodding towards the row of bucket seats. “Come on, race me!”

            There were a few teenagers already seated and racing. There were loud screams as crashing and crunching effects were played out of the speakers.

            “I’d rather not find out Lizzy,” Paula put on an awkward smile, she could see the brashness dripping off of her friend’s expression.

            “Come on, one race!” Liz began to elbow her friend.

            Eventually succumbing to the thought that this was her friend’s day off; she caved and allowed herself to be dragged onto one of the bucket seats.

            “You know, ballet doesn’t really translate into driving,” Paula said timidly, she was admittedly bad at most games. She was also however, was extremely modest about most other things.

            The two picked their vehicles, Liz chose an aggressive looking Mitsubishi, while the blonde chose the same Hyundai she already had. It was an odd choice for a competitive racing game, but she chose what was familiar to her.

            The two cars began the race evenly matched, neck and neck at the beginning. Liz drove boldly, making wide turns and never lifting her foot from the accelerator. Paula drove in quite the opposite fashion, just as with everything, her driving was precise, she turned when her wheels were aligned or braked several car lengths away from an obstacle. She drove without much speed yet with a near unrealistic amount of control. This didn’t deter her friend however, she crashed into everything imaginable, her vehicle sliding into turns and spinning out every now and then. The Hyundai made way steadily ahead, avoiding the damage and other obstacles the Mitsubishi hit head on. The tighter turns proved to be where Paula won the race, she blew past the collisions her opponent had made with the walls, leaving skid marks directly in the center of the road after she left that section of the track. Much to her ears’ dismay however, she could hear loud screeching and loud smashing noises in the distance. Unsurprisingly enough, she won the race in her tiny Hyundai.

            Liz sunk into her seat, laughing loudly. Something that caught the victor off guard.

            “That was insane!”

            “Oh it surely wasn’t. I was simply doing what I was taught,” The blonde replied rather calmly, still reeling from Liz’s mood.

            “Come on, maybe you were taught some other cool things,”

            Paula was again dragged along by the dark haired girl to the next machine, blowing past their two friends on the way.

                                                                       

* * *

 

            Olivia was slamming the surface of the arm wrestling machine with her left arm as she tried her best to keep the badly airbrushed contraption from beating her again.

            “We have all day Olivia, you can do it,” James said sardonically.

            The husky voiced woman grunted as the disembodied arm forced her own to reach the losing zone. To which she replied with a frustrated groan.

            “Quiet,”

            The Woman swiped the power card once again, resetting the machine. It set itself back into place as an announcer dared her to test her strength. She outstretched her right arm this time, and James could see how different it was. The area around this shoulder was noticeable larger than the other.

            “I can see you’ve been working out,” James chuckled, trying not to imagine what she could do.

            “A couple of hours every day,”

            “I can see that. How’s the bow been treating you?”

            “Well,”

            Running out of things to say, James stared at her shirt and decided to comment on it.

            “Hey, I didn’t know you watched Pyrocy-“ He was cut off by her voice saying only one thing:

            “ _Quiet_ ,”

            The woman readied herself. While the bow James was referring to was in no way as hard to pull back as this machine’s arm, Olivia was determined to show just how ready she was. She planted one elbow firmly on the machine’s surface. A bell went off, and the machine fought back. A couple dozen kilograms of force pushed itself onto her arm; she pushed back with as much determination. Flesh and metal were stuck in a stalemate, the lock moving left or right.

            “We could totally just get Susan to beat it for you, you know?” James joked again.

            Olivia paid no heed. Susan was a member of the university wrestling team, whose arms broke many others in her career. The archer continued to do her best to defeat the machine. Her friend continued to look on, doing nothing much in the way of support. She began to push even harder, her muscles aching from how much effort she was sinking into this. Olivia began to grunt and groan as the lock began to move to her left. She was winning.

            “Holy- “ James exclaimed, inching closer.

            The mechanical arm continued to sink and sink closer to the end. Olivia was inches away from the victory she desired.

                                                                                  

* * *

 

            A loud thud was heard all throughout the arcade a few moments later, followed by a loud ‘yes!’, and then by a loud curse.

            “She actually did it, huh,” Paula mumbled, looking off into Olivia’s general direction. Beside her Liz was busy working on a claw machine. Her hoodie had a few ticket bundles already stuffed inside.

            “You seriously doubted _Olivia_?” The dark haired girl asked, pretending to be offended. She slammed the button to bring down the claw.

            “Well, you indeed have a point there,” Paula nodded, watching the claw limply latch onto a yellow rat.

            The girl cursed under her breath, stepping away from the machine and taking a deep breath.

            “Let’s go try another machine,” Liz forced a smile. Her friend smiled back. The two moved on to the next row of machines, and the next. Nothing much caught their eyes until they stopped at another odd contraption. There was a large glass chamber, and at the bottom was a spinning disc with holes and numbers.

            “I saw this thing on a YouTube channel,” The girl trailed off, taking a seat on the stool and swiping the card, “Some science guy said you could win big just by dropping it a couple holes before the goal,”

            Paula watched in amusement as Liz stared intently at the glass case. In a quick press of the button, a bright yellow ball fell from a tube and directly into the one hundred ticket slot. She was speechless until she realized what her friend said was essentially common sense. Tickets began to pour out of the slot, the younger of the two crossing her arms triumphantly.

            “I’m more than impressed,”

            Liz did this a couple more times, failing thrice out of the seven times. In the end however she earned the group four hundred or so tickets in total. It took a solid five minutes for all of them to dispense. The two grabbed the mound of tickets and searched for their friends.

            They found Olivia with an icepack on her shoulder and James taking a video of her. He was laughing uncontrollably.

            “You really did it this time!” The man could barely speak properly. She had her head against the bar’s table as she groaned as loud as she could.

            “What’s happened here?” Paula asked, holding back laughter for an expression of her concern.

            “She beat the machine a bit too hard,”

            “I can see that,” Paula glanced over to the arm wrestling machine, it looked like the arm was stuck permanently in its defeated position. No staff members seem to have been concerned.

            “We should scram before they catch wind,” James suggested, trying to shake Olivia from her pain.

            “I’ll just go redeem these tickets, you guys take care of her,” Liz gestured at the groaning mass of frizzy hair, which Paula sat beside.

            Liz went to the counter and stared at the vast assortment of knick knacks in glass cases. She spotted toy cars, slinkies, whoopie cushions and tiny bouncy balls. The girl glanced over all of them; she wanted to make a big purchase with her ‘hard’ earned tickets. The girl’s sight was dragged to a section of mildly convincing fake jewelry. All of them looked pretty good from a distance, but upon closer inspection, cheaply made metal rings with glass gemstones were all they were. Nonetheless she chose one; it was a silver ring with a blue teardrop shaped piece of glass embedded in it. She asked the staff member behind the counter to pick it up from the vast selection of other rings and let her inspect it. It was as cheap as she expected.

            “Would you like us to wrap it for your significant other?” The employee asked.

            “What? Oh. Oh yeah sure,” Liz replied, nearly stuttering over her words.

            The man quickly went to work putting the ring in a small red felt box, and then wrapping it in a gaudy Dave and Buster’s branded wrapping paper. He handed it to her with a smile.

            “Would you like us to count the tickets?” He asked.

            “Oh, nah,” She replied, handing the tangled mess over the counter. She returned to her friends, tiny box in hand.

            “Well, what did you get?” Paula asked, curiously eyeing the box.

            “One of those crappy fake rings. I thought it would be a fun thing to remember this day by, I guess?” Liz held the box out. A tiny red box with yellow logos repeated all over it presented itself to them.

            “Huh. Ain’t that a thing,” James commented, he had just given up on trying to wake Olivia.

            “It’s actually quite interesting. A pretty token for today wouldn’t you say?” Paula said.

            “Yeah. We should seriously get going though, Olivia is going to need some rest,”

            The group unanimously agreed as they helped the large woman out of her seat and out of the building. To say it was a struggle was an understatement. Eventually however, they got her to snap out of it long enough to sit down in the car, nearly seconds after the car was filled with groaning.

            “Great,” James sighed, putting on his earphones.

                                       

* * *

            

            The car stopped outside of the dimly lit home. It was around four in the afternoon, and Liz stepped out of the Hyundai.

            “Thanks, P. For everything today,” Liz smiled warmly.

            “Oh don’t mention it; I’m happy to be with all of you,”

            “See you on Monday I guess?”

            “See you! Farewell!”

            Paula’s sedan pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the street. Liz was left with the tiny box. She chuckled at it. To think maybe some couple spent time to get one of those rings in the past, it was an interesting thought. Such a small thing achieved through such great effort, she had to ask herself if it was worth it. She tried answering her own question yet, she was filled with a longing sadness. It was over. A few hours of enjoyment dissipated in what felt like a few minutes. It was bitter to think about. She ended up staring at the box again.

            “ _Were_ you worth it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, sorry for the late update! School ate a lot of time, but I finally finished Chapter 3! Hope you all enjoyed reading it.  
> -BFS July 16, 2018
> 
> Updated this chapter and cleaned it up a little bit. Hopefully reads better now!  
> -BFS December 28, 2018


	4. Chapter 4

           The faint noise of indie music roared in another room, and it irritated Zoey to no end. The muffled screams of fans only added to that. She thought Rachel and Sophie were taking her to some classy bar downtown and drinking in a nice place. They ended up in some indie rock concert bar in some refitted warehouse. She was living the _life_. The woman sat in the empty booth, the drinks on the table vibrating to the music, around her were several other people in their own isolated booths; misplaced businessmen, drunks and others lonely souls drank the same drink of loneliness. Zoey sat on a cheap leather couch, staring at her fizzy drink on the faded laminated table. Her two friends were in the main room, the exact place where the music emanated from. The glass leaned into her hand as it was slid around the table.

            “A good time and good drinks my ass,” She muttered, taking a sip of the concoction.

            It was some kind of soda with an odd punch of alcohol near the end. Not her kind of drink but it’s all she could afford. While she usually only drank to forget, her budget wouldn’t allow it, and somehow her problems really just came flooding back in. She couldn’t focus on forgetting because of some guy in Ray Bans in the other room singing about the world ending in fifteen minutes. Zoey began to worry about Liz and where the hell she could be, Paula hasn’t sent a text in a few hours. She began to worry about just how the hell they were going to get through the year or even if they could. She felt the secrets she’d been keeping would reach Liz and the web she spun would be washed away in the next storm. It made her mind race to no end. She stared intensely at the concentric circles in her drink before she was shaken out of it by a lisped voice.

            “Zoey! What the hell are you doing! It’s boring in here!” A woman with a familiar pair of golden glasses asked. The lonely crowd inside the roomed raised an annoyed eyebrow at her.

            “It’s, not my style Rachel. I thought we were going to some Billy Joel-esque bar with some classy old guy playing the piano, not some punk dude screaming about the neighborhood watch!”

            “I thought you liked this!”

            “Not when I’m stressed to hell and back I don’t!” Zoey hissed.

            The woman in front of her could only step back with her hands raised in front of her as she shuffled back into the other room. Zoey rolled her eyes as the guilt washed over her; she contemplated on how she got here.

                                                                      

* * *

 

Zoey stared deeply into her own reflection. Her hair was still in a messy ponytail, no makeup on and her favorite old weathered cargo jacket that was on her shoulders told anyone that looked at her that she wasn’t dressed for a club or whatever it was they were going to tonight. With Rachel dragging her into it, she was beginning to realize she couldn’t escape to a coffee shop and catching up on whatever Netflix drama was popular for just one night instead of drinking in some bar and getting wasted. The woman groaned, she was beginning to wonder why she even agreed to this. She was snapped out of her thought by a buzz by the sink. She picked up her phone and read the notification;

            ‘Almost there!’

            “She’s always happy isn’t she?” She smiled at the message, typing back a quick ‘okay’.

            She quickly made her way downstairs and to the front door. The woman stared back at the unlit home behind her, the colors never seemed to come back; after how many years it always seemed black and white. She shook of the thoughts.

            “If Liz can enjoy her day, might as well enjoy my night,” She told herself.

            Zoey stepped out the creaky doors and locked it behind her. She could see a pair of bright headlamps in the distance. The sky above was only beginning to grow dark, she checked her phone and it was almost six in the evening.

            The car drove down and pulled over in front of the only house without lights. It was a sizable purple Subaru SUV. She spotted the words ‘cross trek’ beside the license plate. The passenger side window rolled down and woman in a neon blue crop top greeted her.

            “Hey!” The woman waved. One could spot a glassy left eye through her auburn hair.

            “What’s up?” Zoey forced a smiled as it was Rachel’s girlfriend; Sophie. The two rarely met but they knew one another well.

            “Hurry up! We’re almost late,” Rachel yelled as she leaned forward to see her coworker.

            Zoey promptly opened the door and sat down. The seat was made up of uncomfortably rigid leather which was in stark contrast to the pile of pillows she found herself in, with the letters R and S embroidered on each one.

            “These are a lot of pillows,” She commented, shoving them to the other side of the seat.

            “We value comfort! And yeah I guess if you want to sleep after you get wasted,” Sophie replied, turning to face their passenger, “Just don’t throw up on them,”

            Zoey tried to make herself comfy, but the seat strictly stopped her from getting anywhere close to comfy as she wriggled around.

            “So, we’re heading to The Warehouse. My favorite indie rock band is heading up there tonight,” Rachel proudly proclaimed. Outside, the sights of the city were slowly pouring into the windows.

            Zoey’s stomach however dropped the second she heard The Warehouse. It was a bar downtown that served cheap drinks and good music. Good music to a certain kind of person, one that wasn’t Zoey. She preferred a bar that had a Billy Joel in it, singing the blues and singing smooth lyrics. Not some tattooed freak with a guitar. She couldn’t say no though, it was the first time she hung out with them in ages and she didn’t want to be _that_ person.

            She groaned to herself, and sealed her fate.

                                                                       

* * *

     

           Zoey rested her chin against the table. She just snapped at her best friend and maybe caused some more emotional damage to another person. Was it the alcohol? She didn’t think so; a three percent drink didn’t anything to anyone. She weighed her options. Stay here and waste away or wade through the crowd and possibly risk her eardrums and her mental health for Rachel? It sounded like the right thing to do, considering the few friends she already had. The woman quickly finished he drink and held her breath.

           “The things I do for this girl,” She muttered under her breath. Zoey stood up and left the dirty booth and stepped into the main room.

           Her senses were immediately met with the extreme flashing lights and the same singer now belting out lyrics about a shooting star burning out fast. The crowd was jumping up and down to the beat, mouthing along to the lyrics. Every now and then and intense spotlight flew across the room, it highlighted the many faces that were in the crowd. Zoey continued to squeeze through the crowd, her shoulders being knocked into by a shaking fist every now and then. She spot Rachel and Sophie somewhere in the crowd for a quick second and they disappeared back into the throng, she barely heard herself groan.

           “We love you Mike!” A spectator screamed, the singer on stage gave a passing nod as he continued to wildly sing his way through the song. Zoey was unfortunately caught on the receiving end of this screaming.

           “Thanks,” She muttered to herself, the word barely making it through the noise. The woman moved towards the back and out of the crowd, she breathed a sigh of relief as she found herself in rows of empty and misaligned seats.

           “Great. Now I just have to find them again,” She thought. Zoey stumbled her way through the chairs and into a small drinks dispenser at the back of the room. She happily got herself a cup of water. The crowd continued to pulsate in unison with the music, and the lights continued to blind half of the people there. Her friends were nowhere to be found. She pulled up a chair and sat next to the dispenser, her phone’s screen soon reflected on the plastic machine beside her.

           ‘Hey Paula, how’s everything?’

           Zoey stared at the screen; it’s been four hours now since her last update. It’s unusual, and it’s some reason for stress. She shut off her phone and was met with her own reflection. There was a moment of introspection, thinking about how she should be enjoying this night out with her friends and not stressing out behind the concert.

           “How do I somehow always end up like this? Worrying about things when I should be enjoying?” She thought to herself, catching a glimpse of her own tired eyes.

           Her thinking was cut-off by someone tapping her shoulder.

           “Hey,”

           It was Sophie again, she looked exhausted. Rachel was nowhere to be found.

           “What are you doing back here so early?” Zoey asked.

           “Taking a break, as much I love her, I don’t last too long in loud and crowded spaces. The music is great though!”

           “I can’t take concerts at all,” The woman sitting down shrugged.

           “What’ve you been doing all night? I saw you run into here all concerned and confused like,”

           “Oh. I kinda snapped on her. She wanted me to enjoy the concert and whatever, and I was kinda doing the exact opposite. I’m sorry about that,”

           “Well, She’s only looking out for you, Zoey,” Sophie pulled up a chair and sat next to her friend, “She tells me all the time how tired you are and how all you do is worry about the next day! I know this isn’t your kind of place, but you can try to enjoy yourself,”

           “Hey! I know! I just let the moment get the better of me. I’m looking for her so I can apologize,”

           A hand patted down on her shoulder.

           “Don’t. She understands. Just relax, okay? Go to the roof deck, it’s quieter up there. We’ll find you there eventually,” Sophie pointed at a narrow looking staircase on the far right end of the room.

           “Gotcha,” Zoey forced a smile.

            Sophie returned to the crowd, shooting Zoey a thumbs up and eventually disappeared into the mass. Her friend on the other hand did as instructed and went up the staircase. She was greeted with an empty and unfinished rooftop with a fairly dilapidated rooftop above it. She walked over to a pair of monoblock chairs. What greeted her was a fairly comforting view of her hometown. Zoey could spot nearly everything from the lonely warehouse rooftop, the main street bridge, the Mathews Bridge, and even farther up the river was the university. She leaned on the hollow block wall and soaked in the smaller sights. A few boats travelled up and down the river. There were pedestrians taking a quiet sit down on the riverbank, And even the gentle breeze that shook bushes and trees around her. She took a deep breath and let the cold evening air fill her nostrils.

           “Home,” She whispered to no one in particular. For just one moment she felt like she was above it all, that her problems didn’t exist. It was a liberating moment, one that alcohol could never hope to reproduce. But again, it was just a moment, it passed by rather quickly.

           She eventually sat down on the chair and stared directly at the second empty one. For the next few minutes she stared at it intently, trying to imagine someone sitting there. Zoey leaned forward, chin resting on her clasped hands. The woman was alone, and she knew it. It was a welcomed moment of calm, far away from the real problems in their home and just far enough from the racket down below. Her mind just wandered away as she stayed in the same position for several minutes.  

           Something vibrated in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and read the notification.

           ‘Hi!! Sorry for the late reply Zoey, Lizzy is at home. She had fun.’

           “That makes one of us,” The woman joked to herself. She typed her reply.

           ‘Great! Thanks again P <3’

           Zoey smiled at her phone. She thought that at least for once in her life Liz was happy; she could only hope and pray it stayed that way for long enough.

           Once again, she stared at the empty seat. She was alone with no one to talk to. It was a feeling she usually feared, yet here she was, savoring it. For a longer set of moments, she stood above the world. She was completely detached from the reality of her life, completely detached from her jobs, all her coworkers, her friends and her sister. For those sweet moments she was free, and for once, at peace.        

           Her eyes were now closed, she drowned herself in the feeling. It was a feeling she rarely felt nowadays, but treasured whenever she could. She would often describe it as some sort of longing, as if that feeling when you stared into a picture and wondered what was beyond the frame. It was an isolation that demanded freedom or an adventure that just hadn’t begun. She saw herself in it, trapped in the frame, wondering what world lied behind the walls of responsibility. It was a beautiful feeling.

           “Zoey! Zoey, where are you!” An irritating for once, yet familiar voice yelled into the air. The woman in question stood up from the chair and dug her hands into her pockets. She stared into the opening of the staircase.

           Out came a wasted Rachel, being supported by her better half.

           “Zoey come on! I wanna go home!” She slurred, her legs could barely support her.

           “Hey, I’m here,” Zoey replied quietly, taking a few steps closer to the couple.

           Sophie moved closer and sat Rachel down onto the chair, wiping her brow as she did.

           “I found her downing bottles of cheap beer with a bunch of punks by the speakers, suffice to say she’s beyond driving at this point,” The half blind woman sighed.

           “I! Can! Drive!” The wasted one screeched.

           The two sober women could only exchange confused looks at one another.

           “I’ll go drive you guys to your apartment. I’ll take the bus home,” Zoey suggested.

           “Oh, no! You can sleep on the couch! We have space!”

           “I don’t wanna impose,”

           “Oh don’t be shy, we’ll have you over tonight and she can hopefully drive you home when she’s sober!” The auburn haired woman smiled, her partner slumping over on the chair.

           “If you say so,” Zoey shrugged.

           The two women soon lifted the third up from the chair and began to drag her to the car.

 

* * *

 

           The Subaru pulled into the entrance of a large apartment complex. It drove up several levels until it stopped at a relatively empty seventh one. The driver pulled the car into a slot beside the adjacent entrance of the apartment building itself. The occupants slowly got themselves out of the car.

           Zoey pulled the key out of the ignition and yawned as she handed the keys over to the sober half of the couple.

           “Thanks Zoey, seriously,” Sophie said, shoving the car key into her pocket. The two stepped out of the SUV and prepared to get the third woman out of the back seat. Rachel blacked on the way to the apartment, and the two sober women had the fantastic job of getting her out.

           They started off by dragging her out, and then cradling her in their arms. She looked like some medieval ram getting ready to be thrust into a gate. Sophie and Zoey carefully got her into the building, but were immediately met with a stairwell.

           “That doesn’t look good,” Zoey remarked, taking the first step up. Sophie followed suit, her grip immediately slipping away as she did. The sound of ankles hitting the steps echoed into the vast stairwell. The two of them exchanged panicked looks at each other. They resorted to dragging her into the carpeted hallway, leaving parallel lines in the carpet, and afterwards into their home.

           The door clicked shut behind them, and as if on cue they collapsed against it.

           “Remind me to never go drinking with you guys, like, ever,” Zoey joked, still trying to catch her breath.

           “Remind me to never go drinking, period,” Sophie retorted. The two laughed in their exhaustion.

            Their apartment seemed to match their car very well. Their couch was mostly in purple, with the same letters printed on the pillow cases. The kitchen was decked out in purple, with their large fridge being a metallic shade of said color. What caught Zoey’s attention the most however, was a massive open window facing the west side of the river. It seemed to stretch floor to ceiling, and managed to catch all the sights Zoey saw earlier from an even better angle.

           “If you can afford this why does she still work at Wal-Mart?”

           “ _That’s_ why she works there,” Sophie chuckled, pointing at the window, “Can’t say we regret it though,”

            Zoey winced at the fact.

           “You go and just move the pillows off the couch, I’ll get you better pillows and a blanket,” The sober owner of the home said, dragging her partner into a different room.

           “Yeah, yeah,” Their guest answered, mesmerized by the window. She stared at it again with the same sense of isolation from a while ago. She wanted to soak up the sights just as she did earlier, however her eyes slowly drifted shut. Zoey checked up on her phone, the clock only told her the time was almost two in the morning.

             “I hope these are good for you, they’re a bit thick I guess, but they work,” Sophie smiled, handing a large bundle of pillows and a blanket.

             “Thanks,”

             “No prob! Just make yourself at home okay? The shower is down the hall, door with the rose on it,” She gestured towards a hallway to the right of the window.

             Sophie soon disappeared back into the room she dumped Rachel into, leaving Zoey alone.

             The woman took off her shoes and her jacket and set them aside, she was left with a plain old shirt and her jeans.

             “Better than nothing,” She shrugged. The woman began to figure out how to set up her bed, and dropped into the mess of softness. She sank nearly an inch into the couch and began to experience the most inviting experience of sleep she’d had in a while. It nearly got her to shut her eyes, but she scrolled through her contacts just before she did; she called up her sister.

             “Hey. This is the voicemail of Elizabeth Laskey. Just leave a message and I guess I’ll answer it,” The phone said, in a familiar monotonous voice.

              Zoey listened to it and as instructed, left her message.

             “Hey sis, I’m over at R and S’ place for the night. Rachel got way too wasted to drive me home, so I’ll catch you by Sunday. See you, hope you enjoyed today,”

             She put her phone down and stared out the window one last time.

             “Love you,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm really sorry for the long hiatus. Life caught up to me and I wasn't able to write for a long while, but here's Chapter 4 and I hope you guys like it! -BFS August 28, 2018
> 
> Updated this chapter and cleaned it up a little bit. Hopefully reads better now!  
> -BFS December 28, 2018


	5. Chapter 5

     The mahogany doors of the Laskey home swung open to a cold Tuesday morning, and immediately slammed shut. The older of the two sisters stumbled out of the door with a bagel in her mouth and walked hurriedly to their sedan. She opened the door of the Chevy, the rearview mirror greeting her with her own reflection; a woman wearing a tan coat with plaid lining over a fancy looking striped blouse greeted her. Extremely fancy compared to what she usually wore, but circumstances demanded it this time. There was something that needed to be dealt with. And thinking about it too often made her skin crawl.

     “It’s just another appointment Zoey. Just make your way through it again,” She told herself, struggling to insert the key into its slot. She sank into the driver’s seat, trying to retract into a shell that didn’t exist. Out of the shell rose her arms, weakly gripping the steering wheel. It felt like it was freezing.

     She started the car, and the engine coughed itself to life. The woman shifted gear and drove onto the street. Zoey soon began her journey to whatever she was going to.

     “Try your worst,” She told herself.

     The woman finally bit into her bagel, it was still warm at the least. The Chevy drove past ever so familiar houses and empty lots. There was a slideshow of everything she knew going past the windows, and just once did she ignore all of it.

     “Okay. One more time,” She muttered to herself, taking another bite of her bagel before speaking.

     “Good morning, Mister Keating! Here are papers that have been updated since last time. I really want to ask you if you would consider moving the final foreclosure date by another week, if that was possible?”

     Zoey shook her head.

    “God, that sounded horrible,”

     She took another deep breath.

     “Good Morning, Mister Keating. These are the papers that have been updated since our last meeting. Though I would like to ask if you could consider moving the final foreclosure date by another seven working days?” She ended her sentence unsure of herself.

     The woman sighed at the ceiling, letting her mind linger by it for a few moments.

     “I am so screwed,”

     Zoey took yet another bite out of her bagel. The monotonous taste of warm bread continued to keep her sane.

     “Good morning, Mister Keating! It’s been a while since the last appointment, but here are the papers I have changed since the last one. Though I wanted to ask if you could possibly move the final foreclosure date?”

     The woman shrugged. Maybe that was the best she was going to get out of herself for now.

 

* * *

 

     Zoey pulled into a parking lot engulfed in the shadows of a pair of high-rise buildings. The noise of other cars driving by filled the Chevy. She proceeded to pulled the key out of the ignition and tried once again to crawl into a shell.

     “Just another one,” She lied to herself, hugging her knees as the sun began to rise above the building. Golden light began to pour into the parking lot, shaking her away from her worries for just a moment.

     “Just one more,” Her voice grew shaky. Zoey wanted to sob her way out of the day, but she just couldn’t. There were responsibilities to handle, and she was the only one capable of doing so.

     “Dad isn’t here to solve your problems anymore,” She thought, “Just one more,”

     She reached over to the back seat of the car and picked up a large brown binder and dropped it onto her lap. There were small golden letters printed near its top:

     ‘Legal Files’

     Zoey didn’t quite remember where she got it, but it was relatively new and now almost full. She skipped ahead to a few pages just before it ended and a form with long blocks of text and a few blanks here and there where her signature could be found. The date of November tenth appeared often, and she paused at the very last instance of it.

     She stared at the rows of letters she could barely comprehend. There were things about liabilities and the bank and all other sorts of things..

     “A month to get everything together,” She sighed, “What am I going to do?”

     Her head leaned back into the seat. Zoey closed her eyes, and sat still for the next few moments. She was afraid; everything she’d worked for was on the line again.

     Zoey stepped out into cold air again, heat finally nipping at the back of her neck. She tucked the binder under her arm and manually locked the car. The building to the left of the lot became the focus of her attention, it looked to be more than ten stories high, and had deeply tinted windows that hid what was inside it. It had dark marble accents and maroon paint all over its exterior. Towards its center at ground level was a large archway, and nestled in its pillars was a large revolving door. A few people in business attire came and went; the door never seemed to stop spinning because of it. She thought that they were being consumed by some hungry adult, and she was just a bagel.

    “Just one more,”

    Zoey dusted off bread crumbs off of her clothes, also making sure that nothing was stuck in her teeth. The woman eventually made her way to the large granite steps that led into the the revolving doors. She was joined by a man in a blue coat who disappeared into an elevator on the far side of the lobby. The room itself was populated by a few couches and a large desk where a frail looking woman was sitting and going through something on her computer. Above her was an equally frail looking winged statue that resembled something a luxury car would have. Zoey continued down the lobby and was met with a row of elevators and like a machine, she stepped in front of the second and pressed the call button and anxiously waited.

     “Good morning, Mister Keating! It’s been a while since our last appointment, but here are the papers I have managed to modify since the last time. Though I wanted to ask if you could possibly move the final foreclosure date by at least seven working days?” She rehearsed one last time. Her opinion of her own speech didn’t change.

     The elevator doors opened and released a quiet gust of air. Zoey shivered as she stepped in, and closed the doors behind her. Almost immediately she could feel herself shaking again.

     “Just one more,” She told herself for the thousandth time that morning. The vintage looking dial above the doors slowly moved clockwise, rising through different numbers. The dial stopped abruptly at level twelve, where the doors followed suit. Zoey stepped onto the other side, her leg doing its best not to go numb.

     “Let’s go Mister Keating,” She joked to herself, trudging forward into the hallway. Oddly enough, the hallways were colored in contrast to its outside. It was a much more inviting off white with beige peeking the around edges of fixtures. A couple of cheap looking plastic benches adorned some of the doorways. The woman continued to walk down the hall, her head looking straight down. She counted the doors that passed her peripheral vision, waiting until it hit three.

     “Good morning, Mister Keating! It’s been a while since the last appointment, but here’s everything that changed. I wanted to ask if you could possibly move the final foreclosure date by a week?” She said one last time, stopping at a smoky glass door.

     ‘Miles Keating’

     She had always found it odd that his door never stated his specialization. At the same time, she thought ‘Expert Life Destroyer’ wouldn’t sound so good. Zoey pushed the door open and was greeted by a sizable office. There was a middle aged man in an emerald colored business suit sitting at an equally old wooden desk. Golden lamp shades were at either side of him.

     “Good morning, Miss Laskey. I was expecting you," The man greeted, his accent had very distinct vowels to it. He stood up to shake her hand. Zoey looked him dead in the eyes, his features had very sharp edges to it. His eyes were sunk deep into his skull, his nose stuck out prominently and his squared off chin was decorated with a freshly trimmed white beard.

     “Good morning, sir," The woman sheepishly replied, setting down the binder on the man’s desk.

     “So what have you for me today?” He asked, putting on a pair of noticeably thick reading glasses. He opened the binder down to the pages where Zoey had been earlier.

     She stared at him, her heart pounding. She kept on opening her mouth yet what she wanted to say wouldn’t come out.

     “I-. I, uh,” She sputtered, clenching her fist.

     “There’s no need to be shy, Miss Laskey. I’m open to listening,”

     “It’s just something I need to, uh, ask,”

     Miles only gestured for her to continue. At this point, Zoey’s heart was pounding out of her chest. She didn’t dare ask it, yet she had to.

     “I-. I wanted to ask if you could possibly move the final foreclosure date?” She said in one continuous breath. She could almost physically feel the shame.

     The man sighed, and shut the binder.

     “You know I can’t do that Miss Laskey. We’ve had this conversation many times,"

     “Just one more time sir, please. I’ve almost got the money to pay everything off!” She lied.

     “You’re already far behind the schedule of the original foreclosure. I’ve done all I could to extend it,"

     “I know you have, Mister Keating, but just one last time,” Zoey could feel tears welling up in her eyes, “Please,”

     Miles stared at her indifferently. He’d grown accustomed to a few desperate clients every now and then, he had to. People were trying to save their houses, homes even, from being grinded into nothing but a few numbers in someone’s files.

     “Miss Laskey, you have four more weeks to get everything ready. I assure you this is enough time to either discuss what will happen after you lose your home or gather enough money to pay everything off," He spoke as if it wasn’t a monumental task at all.

     She stared at her knees. It took every ounce of her being to not scream at him.

     “As if you know how hard it is!” Zoey wanted to say. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t.

     “Sir, please. I’ve been working two jobs everyday just to get by. Another two weeks is all I need to get the money," She said instead.

     “You’ve already said this and a million other excuses. All I can do now is advise you to the best of my abilities before time runs out,” He paused, flipping through a few of his own papers.

     “Your sister could pick up a job to augment your income. You could sell a few of your belongings. Essentially, anything that could help you get out of this current pothole and help you get far enough before you reach the next one,"

     Zoey looked up to face him as he laid out all the options. She could only nod along.

     “My sister, she’s still in second year. I don’t think she’ll be able to find a job that’ll make any difference,"

     “I’ll give you a small list based on what you’ve told me in the past that might be able to help you get started," Miles began to write with a shiny silver pen on a small scrap piece of paper.

     She stared at him as he did, part of her hated him for his attitude towards all this. Like he knew Lizzy at all. Like he knew how hard it was to just get through the day without worrying. Then again, another part of her said she didn’t know this man at all. She didn’t know anything about his side of the story. Maybe he suffered just as much.

     Zoey sighed. Maybe it was better to just keep on moving in her own world.

     “Now if that’ll be all for this appointment, when shall your next one be?” Miles asked, clicking the pen. He slid the piece of paper across the desk, and his client absentmindedly shoved it into a coat pocket.

     Zoey took in a deep breath and began to speak:

     “I think three weeks from now is good. If it doesn’t work out I’ll need the last week to get everything settled,"

     “October twenty-ninth? That’s awfully close to the final date,"

     “I know Mr. Keating. I’ll do what I can,"

     “And the twenty-ninth it is," Miles gave her a half hearted smile as he scribbled a few things onto a post it. He stuck it onto a desk calendar before returning the binder.

     “Best of luck to you, Miss Laskey,"

     “And to you as well sir," She replied just as she stood up and left the office, leaving the man puzzled.

 

* * *

 

     The Chevrolet rolled into the driveway and halted just before hitting the garage door. Zoey let her head rest against the seat as she took in a few deep breaths. There was some sort of creeping dread tracing her spine, and she could barely breathe.

     “Three weeks? Three weeks. Three weeks?!” She repeated to herself over and over. She rested one of her palms against her forehead.

     “Christ what am I going to do," She asked herself. Zoey’s plans crashed and burned, she banked on the extension completely. Now without a backup plan she was lost. She continued to try and take the slowest and deepest breaths she could. There were pangs of regret and anger mixing into her panic.

     “Maybe if you weren’t so short sighted you wouldn’t be here," The woman thought to herself, “Maybe if you would just think for a few seconds you’d be fine!”

     For many, many seconds Zoey sat there and thought to herself about everything she could’ve done. It was a barrage of thoughts and she could barely understand what to do. The woman began sobbing into her hand moments later. She was confused and had absolutely no answers.

     “You could’ve done something you idiot," Zoey imagined in her sister’s voice. She couldn’t bare to think of her reaction if she found out. She could only sob again at the thought. Her tears continued past her hands and began to trail down her arms.

     Seconds passing only became minutes and she sat in the car alone, sobbing into her hand uncontrollably. After a while, she reached into her pocket to grab a handkerchief; she brushed against the scrap piece of paper just before she wiped her own tears away.

     “Deep breaths," She told herself, wiping away more tears. Zoey leaned back against the seat again. She fished out the piece paper and looked at the writing:

 

_For you: photography studio, uber driver, local paper_

_For your sister: mcdonalds’ education assistance, online art, tutoring_

_sell all your unnecessary belongings and if worse comes to worst, invest in a motorhome_

 

     Zoey pondered at the options presented to her.

     “No time. No time. No time," She mumbled at all three and moved onto the next line. She stared at it and gave it a few minutes of thought. Zoey hated the thought of letting Liz work. She wasn’t ready. Her attitude wasn’t cut out for it. She was lazy, judgemental and a hundred other negative things. Yet, there was a moment of hesitation. Her sister was admittedly a fantastic artist, even though she was shy about it. Maybe that would work?

     “No. No," She shook her head.

     “Maybe Liz won’t be able to handle criticism. She won’t be able to do this," Zoey grunted.

     “Liz isn’t cut out for any of this!” She kept telling herself. The woman didn’t bother reading into anything else and moved onto the last line.

     “Motorhome. Yeah. Like that’s cheap,” Zoey rubbed her temples. The woman tore the paper in half and shoved it into the glovebox. Soon the car key clicked out of the socket and found itself in Zoey’s shaky hands. She stepped out of the car and locked it. The sun was directly above her as she shut the door. She shuffled towards the front door and stared at the house around her, along with all the memories it held.

     “Might be time to say goodbye soon,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I guess I have some explaining to do. Haven't been writing for a while, took a two month break. I quite literally got up to start writing this again and the second half of the new fifth chapter is officially complete after remaining half finished for more time than the break I took. Thank you all for your patience! -BFS May 21, 2019
> 
> P.S I also update stuff on the renamed IG over on @storieswithstefano  
> shoot me a message if you came from here!


End file.
